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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Locke & Key #4: Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill

The Locke family returns in the fourth of Hill's Locke and Key series, Keys to the Kingdom. In the first three graphic novels, we are introduced to the Lockes: a family who tragically lost a father and husband to a brutal murder. We have watched and witnessed how the family attempts to cope, but living in Key House proves to lead to an even more complicated life. Magical keys open doors to worlds beyond one's imagination and opens one's mind to new perspectives. In Keys to the Kingdom, more keys are introduced and one character's elaborate plot begins to unravel.

Author Hill and artist Rodriguez have done it again. They have created a masterpiece even despite the horrific details surrounding the story. The characters jump off the page, allowing the reader to understand the genuine struggles of teens as well as the stages of grief that are experienced in the case of a lost loved one. The keys provide so many unexpected dimensions and the graphics only enhance the story in unspeakable ways. With every edition, I fall deeper into the world created, leaving an imprint on my mind for years to come.

Special Note: As with the previous editions, I recommend this for mature readers only.

For fellow Locke and Key fans, which key would you like to get your hands on? What would you do with it?

The Amateur Novelist ... I really recommend this series. I think it is one of my fave graphic novels! He just released the 5th in the series I think this month, so I do believe this is where his energy is currently going.

I've read the first book and really really enjoyed it...with the exception of being a bit turned off by the degree of gruesome violence depicted. Thinking back, there wasn't "that much" of the book that showed the violence, but what was shown was a little too graphic for my tastes and has left me a little nervous to read the rest of the series even though I really really want to find out what happens next.

Any chance they tone down the drawn violence a bit...maybe have it more obscured or off-page?

Okie ... If my memory serves me correctly, I think the first book has the most drawn violence. BUT, there is violence throughout the rest of the series, some of it drawn and some of it off-page, so it doesn't disappear completely.

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Welcome to Tif Talks Books!

I am Tif: an avid reader, lover of all things literary, and the mind behind the writing of Tif Talks Books. This blog features a multitude of conversations, spanning from book reviews and discussions to even topics on the craft of writing. Whatever your age, whatever your interest, you will likely find a treasure amongst the content!